Welcome to Cape Town, South Africa. Otherwise known as the “Mother City”, this cosmopolitan, multicultural, and pied city, influenced by European, Middle Eastern, and American tastes, was rated as the second best city in the world by Travel & Leisure magazine in 2009. Between sea hopping, mountain climbing, sightseeing, and shopping, you will have plenty to fill up every hour of your visit. 

Cape Town Safari 

This isn’t your usual overland African safari in the middle of some lost jungle. Cape Town safari involves riding a jeep through game reserve and seeing lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinos, and elephants. You can also spot gazelles, giraffes, eland and hartebeests. Hop on a helicopter safari if you want a birds-eye view of the game reserve. 

Cape Wine Tour & Cape Town Gardens 

Spend your morning relaxing in one of the world’s most beautiful and lush gardens, Cape Town Gardens. Here you can see plants and flora unique to South Africa, and catch rare bird species and small mammals. You can also hike among waterfalls and enjoy a snack among the local pristine trees. A guide is available for a small fee. Don’t forget the camera! After the garden, go visit the wineries at Cape Town. Wine lovers will drool over the six prominent and picturesque grape farms in the area. Your tour includes a walk along tree-lined trails, biking on sunny afternoons, picnicking among the grape plants, and comfortable lodgings with delicious local food. These wineries specialize in wonderful and reasonably priced New World wines, which make ideal souvenirs and gifts. Be sure to taste the pinotage, a red, smoky variety native to Stellenbosch.  Don’t leave without buying a bottle from Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl, Wellington, Constantia, and/or Robertson farms. 
 

Shark Diving 

Are you crazy? Do you want a thrill? Then go shark diving! This adrenaline-packed activity has you in a cage submerged deep in the water with great white sharks swimming around and chasing food.  You can take your waterproof camera in the cage too. Don’t want to dive? No worries. You sane folk can get excellent views of these surface-feeding animals from the ship.  
 

Table Mountain 

Quintessential Cape Town, this flat-topped mountain, famous for is extraordinary flora biodiversity, offers stunning ocean views as you take your lunch on the veranda of the V&A Waterfront. You can expect to see dassies, also known as rock hyraxes that resemble rabbits. Around fifty cm in length, dassies are a close living relative of the elephant, not a rodent as one might expect!  You can hike the mountain (with or without a guide), but beware of sudden weather changes. A layer of impenetrable clouds often obscures the view. Your best bet is to take an aerial cable to the top. For the best views go at sunset!

Robben Island

Now representing freedom from human rights abuses, Robben Island used to house political prisoners during the Apartheid Era. You can see the cell that hosted the renowned political activist Nelson Mandela, get a walking or bus tour of the island, and learn about the history. This tour is necessary if you want to learn about the political issues of South Africa and to understand the human rights issues facing the country today. Check out the bookstore too! Great souvenirs for your history buff friends and family.